Various approaches have been used for introducing the general public to perfume fragrances, one of the oldest being direct application by spraying a small sample onto the wrist or arm at a store counter. This approach has a limited appeal owing to the reluctance of a large segment of the public to have a fragrance with which they are not familiar applied directly to their person. This reluctance may be motivated by a fear of an adverse or allergic reaction, a concern that the sprayed fragrance will interfere with a previously applied fragrance, or that the sprayed fragrance will be too strong. Spraying of a fragrance on a model card or tissue and allowing the customers to take the card with them is another method which has been used. A serious problem with this method of advertising is that the customer may try several fragrances at once and place them in a bag, where they tend to blend, causing a confusing and negative experience. Also, the sprayed-on perfume after a relatively short period of time loses its volatile top notes and even some middle notes, resulting in an aroma that is substantially different from when first sampled.
Controlled release of fragrance from a sampler is the way to avoid the problems described for sprayed-on sampling. One example of controlled release technology is the pull-apart sampler. In the pull-apart sampler, the fragrance is microencapsulated, and the fragrance microcapsules are safely protected under a paper fold until such time as the sampler is opened. Opening the sampler breaks the microcapsules and liberates most of the fragrance at once. Until the microcapsule walls are ruptured, the fragrance is held in place, unchanged. After opening the sampler, the fragrance can be applied to the skin, if the recipient so desires, by rubbing the microcapsules upon the skin. The rubbing usually breaks more capsules, freshening and strengthening the fragrance. Pull-apart samplers are manufactured by mass production methods, often in a large printing plant. Such samplers with high quality printing are used as magazine inserts and direct mailings that reach large numbers of people, many of whom may not have the opportunity to sample fragrances while shopping. The general public receives these samplers at home where they can be opened at their leisure and in environments generally free from competing aromas. A disadvantage associated with this approach is that soon after opening the sampler, the fragrance disappears.
It is desired to provide perfume samplers in the form of printed cards or sheets of paper or other material that have a perfume-containing, sustained-release coating applied to a surface thereof. This would allow the fragrances to be dispensed over a prolonged period without loss of accuracy of the perfume blend due to the rapid escape of more volatile components that occurs when release of the perfume is not restrained. In addition to providing for sustained release, the perfume-containing coatings for such samplers should be compatible with printed matter that would preferably be included on the sampler in the same area as the coating. Previous attempts to provide a perfume-containing image on cards or the like have been characterized by problems due to an interaction of the perfume oil and ink on the printed matter. This interaction tends to contaminate the perfume, destroying its effectiveness, as well as to distort or remove portions of the printed matter.
Prior patents disclose several types of polymeric systems and compositions which include components for providing a sustained-release effect to perfume contained therein. British Patent No. 1,176,262, published Jan. 1, 1970, discloses a perfume carrier material, to be applied to sheet material by printing, that includes a wax such as Ozokerite and a lubricant such as petroleum jelly, along with a varnish and a small amount of perfume. Inclusion of a wax as required in this patent may result in degradation of the perfume fragrance inasmuch as the wax imparts a fragrance of its own that becomes mixed with the perfume fragrances. U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,298, issued Oct. 12, 1976, to Nichols, discloses controlled-release materials and methods wherein active ingredients to be released are incorporated in a "polymer-liquid composite" material as sparingly soluble particles or a precipitate. The disclosed method requires the use of a liquid phase which may be water or alcohol as well as a polymer liquid phase and particulate materials, resulting in process complexity. U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,125, issued July 9, 1985, to Alderman et al., discloses sustained release compositions comprising an aqueous dispersion of a water-insoluble cellulose ether that has an active agent reversibly diffused therein. Aqueous dispersions containing fragrance oil prepared in the manner disclosed in this patent are not compatible with printed matter, the fragrance oil interacting with and becoming degraded by printing ink. U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,409, issued Jan. 19, 1988, to Spector, discloses a transparent fragrance-emitting film having a polymeric matrix impregnated with a volatile fragrance, this film being backed by other films that include artwork. No disclosure is given regarding how the fragrance-containing film is produced. U.S. Pat. No. 2,169,055, issued Aug. 8, 1939, to Obershiner, discloses a perfume fixitive wherein a scent-imparting essential oil is added to a solution of cellulose acetate in an organic solvent, and a diethyl phthalate plasticizer is provided. The solvent is then removed to form a film or sheet. U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,147, issued Oct. 14, 1986, to Shibanai, discloses the preparation of a gel-like solid perfume with a persistent fragrance obtained by adding a perfume oil to an alcohol solution of hydroxypropyl cellulose with a solution of dibenzylidenesorbitol in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone to inactivate the perfume oil. U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,831, issued Feb. 23, 1971, to Lubbecke, discloses a sprayable fragrance composition made up of a fragrance oil, a cellulose ether fixative, a volatile organic solvent, and a rosin ingredient. While these patents disclose fragrance compositions that include cellulose compounds to obtain sustained release of fragrance, they are not concerned with providing compatibility of the perfume-containing composition with printed images where both are applied to the same article during the printing process.